The tenth walker
by Ivy Everscence
Summary: Nolia had lived in Rivendell since she was 10. She had run from home to find an adventure and instead wound up there, telling everyone her parents were dead. She still longed for adventure so when the council of Elrond was called, she sneaked in and volunteered to accompany Frodo on what she thought would be the adventure of a life time. romance but not a legomance, OCxPippin.
1. Chapter 1

I listened behind the wall careful not to let the council members that were present hear me, Merry and Pippin on either side of me, eagerly awaiting the beginning of the council and an explanation of all this ring business. Pippin looked over the wall and groaned, Theres no one here! It'll take at least ten more minutes!" Merry peered over the wall with him "I wish we hadn't come so early, we could have gotten some food from the kitchen!" he said. I giggled, "Merry, is everything about food with you?" Merry looked away embarrassed, as Pippin laughed, and quickly replied "Well we are hobbits you know, food is our area of expertise!" suddenly Pippin looked at Merry, a mischievous smile on his face, "Well we do have ten minutes and the kitchen isn't too far away..." I laughed, "Well what are you waiting for, run!" Pippin grinned, "We'll be back in five minutes, fill us in if we miss much." I smiled, "Hurry, or you'll miss everything!" They laughed and dashed off as I turned back to the meeting, just as Elrond began to speak. Well that was...fast, I guess. There are only about 10 people here.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate-this one doom." He gestured to the pedestal in the center of the room, "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Frodo stood up and set the Ring on the pedestal. A man in the corner gasped and leaned forward in his seat "So it is true.." Frodo returned to his seat beside Gandalf. He seemed relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The members of the Council stared at the Ring, mesmerised by it. My eyes were too drawn to it , and I could not pull them off. It was like it was calling to me, pulling me in. It began to whisper,

Ash Nag, Asha tragul. ash nag.

I looked down, the ring had been in my head, it had talked to me. That disturbed me on quite a high level. As I looked at the rest of the council members I could see that they were quite disturbed, possibly for the same reason. I pulled my head down, remembering that I was not to be spotted. Suddenly someone began to speak, "The Doom of Men..." He paused and I heard his chair scooch back, I assumed he had stood up to address the council, "In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bane is found." I looked up over the wall careful not to let them see me, The Man reached out towards the Ring. I saw Gandalf look over at Elrond as they exchanged concerned looks. The Man's fingers hovered above the Ring for a few moments before whispering "Isildur's Bane..."

Elrond leaped up and yelled to the man, "Boromir!" As he did this the Ring began to utter a harsh chant, Gandalf suddenly stood up and began the chant along in a language that sent chills down my spine. Thunder crackled as the sky darkened. The Council members looked on in fear and confusion as the old wizard and the ring chanted In perfect sync.

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,

ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

(One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the Darkness bind them.)

The voice of the Ring died away and so did Gandalf's, people resume their seats, horrified, Boromir amongst them. I quickly ducked my head back down before I was noticed, and Elrond began to speak again. "Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris." Gandalf's voice was raspy from the force of the words and the language as he replied, "I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether Evil!" I heard the man I assumed to be Boromir speak again "It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"Another man spoke up, one I had not heard before, :"You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." Boromir scoffed, "And what would a ranger know of this matter?" Almost instantly I heard another man speak, "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance" Boromir seemed taken aback as he spoke again "Aragorn? This... is Isildur's heir?" So Aragorn is his name, Aragorn and Boromir. I wonder who the other one is.. He interrupted my thoughts as he began to speak again, "And heir to the throne of Gondor."

There was a pause before Aragorn began to speak again "Havo dad, Legolas" (Sit down, Legolas.) Legolas? Is that his name? So we have Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas, I wonder who else. Boromir spoke out again, "Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." What's with this guy and getting the last word all the time? I thought, That must get annoying after awhile.

I heard the Gandalf begin to speak again, "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it." after a short pause Elrond agreed, "You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed." I heard another man begin to speak, :Then what are we waiting for?" I heard an ear splitting crack and and a cry from the man who I assume had tried to destroy the ring, I peered over the wall, to see an axe in pieces on the ground and a dwarf on the ground, I can only assume he was the one who was speaking. I thought. I heard footsteps behind me as Merry and Pippin sank back beside me setting down the now forgotten food as they noticed the meeting had started, "What did we miss?" Merry asked, I put my hand over his mouth, he was being far too loud. "just listen i'll fill you in later."

I went back to listening to Elrond speak, as he lectured Gimli. "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." The ring began to whisper again, filling our ears with the sound of it's whispery voice,

Ash Nazg

But Elrond appeared unfazed and continued speaking. "One of you must do this." There was dead silence from the council as it seemed everyone was content to sit around and talk of the problem. Finally Boromir spoke, breaking the silence, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!" We stuck our heads up again, just as legolas stood up, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!" Gimli leapt to his feet "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?! For I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" Argument broke out among the council as various insults were thrown around the room. Gandalf tried to speak to the council and calm them down but no one seemed to listen as he shouted, "Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows?! None can escape it! You'll all be destroyed!"

Only Frodo remained seated, watching the Ring uneasily, the angry figures of the council reflected on its surface. Suddenly,the Ring began to chant as flames flared up, engulfing the surface of the Ring.

Ash Nazg Durbatulûk! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul!

He stepped forward and in a voice as powerful as a hobbit could muster he shouted, "I will take it! I will take it!" The argument died down. Gandalf closed his eyes as he heard Frodo's statement. The members of the council slowly turned towards Frodo, astonished. "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though- I do not know the way." Gandalf stood up and put his hand on Frodo's shoulder, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear places his hands reassuringly on Frodo's shoulders." Aragorn rose to join them "If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will." He kneeled down before Frodo with his sword in his hand, "You have my sword." Legolas moved to stand next to Aragorn, "And you have my bow." Gimli rushed forward to take his place among the rest, "And my axe!" Boromir got down to eye level with Frodo putting his hands on his shoulders, "You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

At this point Sam who had been hiding in the bushes on the other side of the pavillion jumped out and stood next to Frodo "Heh! Mr. Frodo is not goin' anywhere without me! Elrond seemed amused as he addressed the hobbit, a slight smile on his face. "No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." At this point an idea had began to form in my mind and I nudged Pippin, gesturing to the council. He grabbed Merry's hand as we jumped to join the rest of the volunteers, Pippin shouting, "Wait! We are coming too!" Merry nodded his head eagerly, "Yea! You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" Pippin puffed out his chest and tried to look tough, "Anyway you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest... thing." Merry looked over at Pippin and laughed, "Well that rules you out Pip." I giggled under my breath, trying not to sound rude, Elrond looked amused as he looked us all over. "Ten companions... So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" Pippin looked excited as he turned back to Elrond, "Great! Where are we going?"

**So tell me what you think, I like getting reviews! No flames please but I don't mind constructive criticism. Kisses :***


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Yay! chapter two is up, I hope you guys like it! and fyi the *'s meant time passing for those who were not aware. Clearly time has passed between the last chapters end and this one's beginning.

We stood at the edge of the forest as Elrond was sending us off. "The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid, to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you. Elrond spread his arms, as Legolas and Aragorn bowed their heads, with their hands upon their hearts. As he finished Gandalf beckoned to Frodo, "The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer." Frodo, turned toward The group and walked forward, looking uncertain. Before us the path wound in each direction. I turned back to see Frodo whisper something to Gandalf. Gandalf smiled slightly and gestured to the left. Frodo nodded and began to lead the way. As we passed beneath an old arch of lichen-encrusted stone, only the first steps of our journey. Aragorn remained where he stood, and turned to Arwen. Across the path between them they gazed into one another's eyes, Her face was sorrowful as Aragorn smiled faintly, nodding a farewell. He joined the rest of us as we left Rivendell, perhaps forever.

Gandalf looked back to the group "We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east to Mordor. But for now we will rest here'' We began to set up camp, Sam quickly cooked sausage and other foods over a fire, as the rest of us sat around or practiced fighting. Boromir was sparing with Merry and Pippin, tutoring them on sword fighting, I watched as he called out tips or commands, sometimes a response to one of their swipes or stabs "Two, one, five. Good. Very good." Aragorn sat near me, smoking a pipe. He called out encouragement or tips if Boromir didn't. "Move your feet!" or "slash, don't stab!" and chuckling at them occasionally.

Merry and Pippin sometimes yelled compliments or tips. Merry yelled from around Boromir "You look good, Pippin." Pippin grinned, "Thanks!" Boromir yelled at them, trying to get them to fight harder, "Faster!" As the Hobbits spared with Boromir, Gimli approached Gandalf. who had been sitting a few stones away, observing the hobbits nodded toward a general direction in the distance "If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome." Gandalf took the pipe he had been smoking from his mouth. Faint surprise registering in the old wizard's eyes. He looked over at Gimli :No Gimli, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

Legolas looked intently towards the South, seemingly noticing something amiss. As, Boromir continued to fight with Pippin. "Come on Pippin. Good. As they were fighting, Boromir's hand slipped, accidentally nicking Pippin's hand. Pippin screamed, "Aaaah!" Boromir looked startled as Pippin screamed, "Sorry!" Pippin looked up with a devious smile on his face as he jumped up, and kicked Boromir on the shin. Boromir looked surprised and cried out in pain. "Ahh!" Merry jumped besides Pippin raising his fist in a warlike manner, yelling, "Get Him!" Boromir laughed and went down in a mock battle. Aragorn laughed with the Hobbits, as they continued to battle. Pippin cried out, "For the Shire! Hold him! Hold him down! Merry!" Aragorn smiled still chuckling as he walked over to them "Alright Gentlemen, that's enough." He laid his hand on either Hobbit's shoulder. As Pippin and Merry grabbed his legs, pulling him down on his back.

Legolas continued to look to the South, where a strange cloud has appeared. Sam looked up at him, noticing him staring, "What is that?" Gimli grunted, "Nothing, it's just a whiff of cloud." Boromir stared up at the sky, "It's moving fast…against the wind." A look of recognition crossed Legolas' face as he cried out "Crebain from Dunland!" Aragorn jumped up and yelled "Hide! And hurry! " He rushed around trying to get Frodo out of sight, "Frodo! Hurry! Take cover!" As we scrambled to gather our things together and hide them, Sam stomped around and tried to out the fire. We ran around, hiding behind rock outcroppings and under bushes. Pippin and I ended up under one in a far corner of the clearing. Pressing up against the wall of the rock. In a burst of darkness against the light of day, a flock of blackbirds rushed overhead, cawing loudly. They circled the hill we were on, and then turned back,flying Southward. We stayed under the rocks for a few moments before Pippin crawled out, offering me his hand, "Are you ok? You looked scared. I smiled nodded, taking his hand as I stepped out of the narrow space.

Gandalf looked up at a great snowy mountain, not too far in the distance, "Spies of Saruman! The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

**- Chapter two is done! yay! r&r to tell me what you guys think! kisses :***


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